Letter to Senators: Please Cosponsor S. Con. Res. 71 to Prevent Genocide and Mass Atrocities

Sep 29, 2010

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Help Make “Never Again” a Reality: Cosponsor S. Con. Res. 71

September 20, 2010

Senator United States Senate Washington, DC 20510

Dear Senator, We urge you to join with other bipartisan colleagues in the Senate to help prevent the horrors of genocide and mass atrocities by co-sponsoring S. Con. Res. 71.

As organizations committed to upholding human rights, protecting human dignity, and building a more peaceful and just world, we believe the prevention of genocide and mass atrocities should be a priority and practice of U.S. policy. For too long, the international community has pledged “never again” without investing in the necessary policies, tools and strategies to successfully avert mass violence and prevent the conditions that can lead to it.

As S. Con. Res. 71 emphasizes, preventing genocide and mass atrocities is in the national interest and aligned with the values of this country, and the U.S. should actively work to improve its abilities to help avert such human tragedies. While important steps have been made - including the addition of mass violence warnings to the annual threat assessment by the Director of Intelligence and the creation of a new Director for War Crimes and Atrocity Prevention within the National Security Council - much more can and should be done. Senate leadership now on genocide prevention can help advance U.S. policy at a critical moment. While the threat of mass atrocities persists in places like Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, bipartisan consensus is growing on the need to improve U.S. policies, structures, and tools to help prevent and more effectively respond to such violence. Bipartisan initiatives like the Albright-Cohen Genocide Prevention Task Force have laid out practical – and quite feasible – recommendations for improving U.S. capacities in the areas of early warning, diplomacy, development aid, security assistance, and international cooperation to help prevent situations of mass violence. At the same time, genocide prevention is rising on the international agenda, with growing interest in improving multilateral cooperation and capacities.

S. Con. Res. 71, a non-binding, bipartisan resolution, puts the Senate on record in support of improving U.S. capacities to prevent genocide and atrocities and signals growing U.S. leadership at this critical juncture. At a time when partisanship seems to be at its height in Congress, this bipartisan resolution demonstrates that genocide prevention is not a concern for any one group, but a moral imperative for all.

We urge you to co-sponsor S. Con. Res. 71 and to invite bipartisan colleagues to do the same. We also encourage you to do all you can to ensure S. Con. Res. 71 passes before the end of this Congress.

Thank you, 3D Security

Alliance for Peacebuilding

American Jewish World Service

Better World Campaign

Church of the Brethren

Citizens for Global Solutions

Columban Center for Advocacy and Outreach

Conference of Major Superiors of Men

Enough Project

Friends Committee on National Legislation

The Fund for Peace

Genocide Intervention Network

Human Rights First

Humanity United

Leadership Conference of Women Religious

Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, Justice, Peace/Integrity of Creation Office

Refugees International

Save Darfur

United Methodist Church, General Board of Church and Society